Amanda has served on the Malden City Council since 2019. Inaugurated into public office just months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amanda hit the ground running in her first term, immediately pivoting into crisis response to serve her new constituents. She partnered with community organizations to distribute masks, groceries, prescriptions, trash bags, Chromebooks for remote school, COVID tests, and later on vaccines, and co-founded the Merry Malden holiday clothing and toy drive in partnership with Malden’s mutual aid network, to ensure that all local families experienced a holiday season filled with gifts and adequate food, despite the isolation, job loss and financial stress of a global pandemic.
Now, in 2023, Amanda is running for re-election to a third term on the Malden City Council, having sponsored more than 40 pieces of legislation related to affordable housing, language access, climate resilience, transportation equity, and parks and open space in Malden. Keep reading to learn more about the top issues facing Malden and Ward 3.
Malden Hospital
20 years after Malden Hospital closed its doors for good, Amanda brokered a deal with Tufts Medicine to bring a brand new, state-of-the art behavioral health facility to the site, fulfilling a deep regional need for more mental health services, along with more than 9 acres of passive recreation space. Thanks to Amanda’s advocacy, the project will include tree preservation, reflective elements recognizing the hospital’s significant place in Malden’s history, energy efficiency, a commitment to racial equity and cultural competency, art therapy, and conservation of park space that the entire community can enjoy.
Learn more at cityofmalden.org/maldenhospitalproject.
Affordable Housing
Amanda oversees $4 million in federal affordable housing dollars as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARPA). As co-chair of the committee programming these funds, she has dedicated $2 million to a new affordable townhome development slated to be built in partnership with ACDC, the Asian Community Development Corporation, and has funded a pilot to turn vacant and abandoned properties into affordable home ownership opportunities through rehab and resale to middle-income, first-generation home buyers. Amanda has also sponsored legislation to keep tenants and landlords informed of their rights, helped to create a new Office of Housing Stability for rent and utility assistance in Malden, wrote a paper to explore the feasibility of allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in Malden, and is working to modernize our current zoning and renter protections.
Parks, Open Space & Preservation
Amanda has a strong track record of investing in parks, trees, and open space across Ward 3 and Malden. In her first two years in office, she spearheaded two master planning projects, for Fellsmere Pond & Park on the Fellsway, and for Patchell Park on the northern edge of the ward, and Amerige Park will be undergoing renovations to add pickleball courts this spring, while funds are sourced for a larger-scale park and playground update. Amanda also supported restoration of the historic stone wall at Wallace Park, and the planting of dozens of trees across the Ward this year, as well as a brand-new ADA-accessible playground at the Beebe School, serving nearly 1,000 students from Ward 3 and Edgeworth.
2021 Election Platform
Amanda won re-election in November 2021. Learn more about her platform by watching the City Council candidates debate on local access cable television, and read more about her 2021 platform below.
